


The Reformed Learned Society of York Magicians

by equestrianstatue



Category: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (TV), Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 21:29:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4538064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/equestrianstatue/pseuds/equestrianstatue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Segundus looked Childermass in the eye, and opened his mouth. But something made him stop and think again. He came towards where Childermass stood and then said, in a careful voice, "Why, Mr Childermass? Would you have me the President of the Society?"</p><p>Childermass's eyes seemed to light with a queer spark. "I would," he said. "I would have that and more."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Reformed Learned Society of York Magicians

Some years ago there was in the city of York a society of magicians. They met upon the third Wednesday of every month and, while a good many of them were not quite able to break the habit of reading each other long, dull papers upon the history of English magic, their chiefest interest now was to decipher the new book of the Raven King which had appeared in the highly unexpected and not unanimously welcomed form of a London street-magician.

On the third Wednesday of every month, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr Segundus saw to it that his pupils were settled at their studies with the under-master, saddled his horse, and rode across the country from Starecross Hall to the Old Starre Inn in York. If the weather was not too bad he usually arrived in time to take his dinner before the meeting began. He would then spend a happy evening in the company of his fellow magicians, before lodging in a room at the top of the Old Starre Inn, and riding out to Starecross again upon the Thursday morning. With his head full of the talk of the night before, he would devote his scant free time over the next four weeks to studying the King's Letters so that he might be among the gentlemen sharing their theories and progress at the next month's meeting.

This life suited Mr Segundus very well. The fresh air of Starecross and the eagerness of his students were of much delight to him, and he was happier living there than he had been as a poor scholar in the city, but he could not have abandoned York all together. His friend and fellow schoolmaster Mr Honeyfoot had not been very much interested in returning to the Society when it was re-established. He said, quite fairly, that the magicians there had been tedious and argumentative, and now that he had the company of Mr Segundus and their twelve bright and earnest pupils, he did not want for any more. But Mr Segundus found that, as tedious and argumentative as most of the members still were, he still found it so pleasing to be in a whole room full of magicians that he could not help but go. Indeed – after the small part he had played in the extraordinary events that led to the departure of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, the revelation of the new King's Book, and the restoration of practical magic to all the citizens of England – Mr Segundus found himself better-regarded by the Learned Society of York Magicians than he had ever been before its dissolution (though to tell the truth this did not mean a very great deal, for he had previously been openly derided by many of its members).

The reinstated Society had not been meeting for longer than six months when its President, Dr Foxcastle, was obliged to resign his position upon the twin counts of failing health and his deep objection to having to touch and look at Vinculus the street-magician in a number of places he did not think befitting to a gentleman. During the meeting at which he announced his resignation there was much excited discussion as to who might stand to replace him. It was agreed that any magician who wished to apply for the position should do so to Dr Foxcastle before the next meeting, and that a vote would be taken then.

After this particularly raucous meeting, a number of the members remained in the private upper room to continue drinking and speculating about the future of the Learned Society. Among them were Mr Segundus, for of course he had nowhere else to go but to his very convenient bedroom on the top floor, and John Childermass, who in truth did not speculate very much at all, but was generally obliged to remain at the Old Starre Inn until Vinculus became disorderly enough in his drink to require removing from the premises.

Indeed at about eleven o'clock the last remaining gentlemen took their leave and Segundus and Childermass were left alone in the upper room. Vinculus was drinking in the public house downstairs, but since there was no commotion to be heard, he had presumably not yet caused any very serious trouble.

"What do you think, Mr Childermass?" asked Segundus. "I do not believe I heard you say a word upon who the next President should be. In fact, I think you may be the only man in the room who neglected to make his opinion very well known."

"I do not find the subject very interesting," Childermass said. "I am quite astounded every month by the Learned Society's great excitement about the most mundane of questions. All of English magic is restored to them and they prefer instead to go into fits about which one of the old men in the room is the most important."

Childermass did not seem terribly disappointed or bitter about this, but was as amused as Segundus had observed him to be about almost any thing that he experienced.

"I suppose the Society has had nothing truly interesting to talk about for such a very long time," said Segundus, thoughtfully, "that it is difficult for them to identify it now it is here."

"Even though it is covered in blue ink and running up such costs downstairs as to rival all the rest of the members together."

"Even then," agreed Mr Segundus.

Childermass smiled at him and drank the last of his drink. It was a small, ironical smile that he directed at Segundus quite often during Society meetings, and one that Segundus fancied meant something along the lines of _You and I are together the only people here who are not behaving very stupidly_. It was a very distinct impression he got from this smile, although he was quite sure Childermass had never said such words to him out loud.

Mr Segundus had also nearly finished his drink, so he stood up, since it seemed the proper time for them to retire. He was in fact relieved that Childermass did not want to discuss the Presidency any further, for he too had become rather bored of the question. Childermass picked up his coat and his gloves, and Mr Segundus gathered the remaining papers which were strewn about the dining-table (his other personal effects being already upstairs). When he was done he saw that Childermass was leaning against the wall by the door, waiting for him.

"Have you thought of standing, Mr Segundus?" asked Childermass.

"Oh! Certainly not," said Segundus. "The experience of almost every other person here far exceeds that of mine. Besides, I do not have the time to devote to the proper running of the Society. I do not even live here any more."

"On the contrary, your experience exceeds almost every other person here. While they have confined themselves to simply talking about it, you have been always concerned with the doing of magic. And indeed for some years I believe you were the third of only three sanctioned magicians in England."

"Nevertheless," said Mr Segundus, although he could not help from smiling at this rather grandiose portrait of himself, "it is not a position for me."

Childermass shrugged. "Very well," he said, and nothing more.

Mr Segundus had had the doubtful pleasure of Childermass's acquaintance now for a number of years. Moreover Mr Segundus was a sensitive and perceptive man, and he was most aware of the way that Childermass seemed to be secretly laughing at any body he spoke with. But over the last six months Segundus had begun to think that the way Childermass spoke to _him_ was not quite so simple as that. There was certainly something underneath the polite speeches that Childermass made, but it was not quite mockery, or at least he did not think so. It was as if there was a door that Mr Segundus must find and open in order to fully understand what he was saying, but he had not found or opened it yet.

On this occasion he was reminded very much of the snow-covered morning when Childermass had asked him – or in fact had not asked him – to write an article on the astounding magical feat that Mr Norrell had performed in the Cathedral. He felt again the heavy expectation that he, Mr Segundus, would say something else; that it would be the most natural thing in the world for him to concede that Childermass _had_ made a most convincing argument and maybe he would indeed consider standing for election.

Segundus looked Childermass in the eye, and opened his mouth. But as he did so it seemed, all of a sudden, that he found his door. Something made him stop and think again. He came towards where Childermass stood and then said, in a careful voice, "Why, Mr Childermass? Would you have me the President of the Society?"

Childermass's eyes seemed to light with a queer spark. "I would," he said. "I would have that and more."

"Such as?"

Mr Segundus and Childermass looked at each other for a moment longer. Segundus was now very certain that he had not only found the door but gone some distance through it. And so he was not as shocked as he might otherwise have been when Childermass leant closer to him and said, "I would have you myself, sir, against this wall."

This did not mean that Mr Segundus was not shocked at all. 

"What do you think to that?" asked Childermass.

Mr Segundus was not quite able to articulate exactly what he thought to that. His face had grown very hot and he stammered rather uselessly when he opened his mouth. But other parts of his body made their opinions on the matter very clear. His heartbeat began to race at an unconscionable speed and he also experienced a not insignificant cockstand.

Childermass seemed most interested by Segundus's response, as unhelpful as Segundus had thought it to be. He looked him up and down with raised eyebrows. "Would you like me to apologise for saying such a thing?" he asked.

"No," Segundus managed. "I would not."

Slowly, Childermass smiled again. His voice was low and rough, perhaps even more so than usual, when he said, "And would you have me do it?"

Mr Segundus swallowed and licked his lips. It seemed that if he thought carefully about the question he might come up with any number of reasons why he ought to respectfully decline the offer. So instead he did not think about it for very long at all. "I would," he said.

Childermass reached out one arm and pushed closed the wooden door of the upper room. After he had done so they both looked at it. The door did not have a key. But Childermass put down his coat and his gloves across the back of one of the chairs set around the dining table, took Mr Segundus by the shoulders, and moved him around so that he stood with his back to the door. Then Childermass pushed him against it so that Mr Segundus's body held the door firmly closed.

"I would suggest that you remain exactly here, Mr Segundus," he said, and then Mr Segundus took hold of his hair and kissed him.

From this point onwards Childermass did not waste any time at all. He continued to hold Mr Segundus fast against the door, but he employed all of the length of his body to do so. He also kissed him so thoroughly that Mr Segundus felt quite lightheaded and not at all his usual self – indeed so unlike himself that he did not hesitate to push his hand between them and try to reach the fastenings of Childermass's breeches. This he achieved without difficulty and was gratified to find Childermass much excited when he took a hold of him. But when he unbuttoned his own trousers Childermass pulled back, and Mr Segundus was left panting and rather dishevelled as they looked at one another.

"Take them off," said Childermass, and Segundus did as he was bid. As he removed his trousers and underwear Childermass did not do the same, but only watched him with his mercilessly dark eyes. When Mr Segundus was ready, Childermass stepped towards him again, and at the same time put two of his fingers into his own mouth. Mr Segundus thought then that any semblance of dignity he might have maintained during this encounter was most certainly lost, for he could not disguise the lust that this brought about in him and must shew very plainly on his face. But Childermass did not seem to mind at all, and when he took his hand from his mouth and kissed him again, he moved his hand behind Mr Segundus and pushed his fingers a small way inside him.

After this Mr Segundus's memories of the occasion began to blur somewhat. Childermass worked very diligently and after some time he removed his fingers, pushed his own breeches down to his thighs, and murmured something in Segundus's ear. Mr Segundus did not quite hear it, but he began to turn about so that he might face the door instead. But Childermass took him by the shoulders and moved him back to where he had stood before.

"No, sir," said Childermass, and gripped Segundus's thigh with one hand. "Like this." He pulled, and Segundus moved his leg upwards to his hip.

Childermass manoeuvred him carefully so that his leg was wrapped tightly around his waist, and then, with a small noise of effort, he lifted Segundus entirely off the ground so that his other leg could do the same. This was for a moment quite startling and, although he was not a particularly heavy man, Segundus did not see how Childermass could maintain such a posture for very long. But by pushing hard up against him, Childermass made the door behind them do much of the work, and it was in this manner that he took Mr Segundus.

The public house downstairs was very noisy, and the door between them was old and heavy, but Segundus still thought it prudent to remain as silent as possible. Unfortunately this was very difficult indeed. Childermass did not spare him in the slightest, and was himself grunting quietly with his exertions, so Segundus let his head fall back against the door and gasped at the ceiling. When he cried out (quite by accident), Childermass used one of his hands to stop his mouth, and gritted his teeth with effort as he kept him against the door with only the pressure of his body and the one other hand under his thigh. But he could not maintain this for more than a short time, and soon trusted Segundus to be quiet again.

Childermass by now was not looking particularly composed either. His hair hung in disarray about his face where it fell out of the knot he had tied at the back, and at one point he stopt moving almost completely and bit at his lip as if to control himself, but at this Segundus began to make noise again and so he carried on. Soon he began to move so quickly that Segundus could not believe that the sound against the door could not be heard downstairs – but then the Learned Society made a number of strange noises every month, and it was the policy of the Old Starre Inn never to disturb a meeting. And so after a time Childermass let out a harsh groan very close to Segundus's ear and finished, the noise of which made Segundus tremble all over. Then he removed himself and carefully lowered Segundus's legs one at a time to the ground.

Mr Segundus was by this time quite beyond any semblance of speech or even thought. His legs wobbled and so he closed his eyes and remained leaning hard against the door, although Childermass was no longer holding him there. By the time he had composed himself enough to open his eyes, Childermass had righted his clothing and was buttoning his breeches.

Mr Segundus reached forwards, hoping that Childermass would come towards him so that he might reach completion either by his hand or simply the weight of his body. But when Childermass saw this he gave him a wide, roguish sort of smile and instead knelt down upon the floor. Segundus did not think he could last ten seconds if Childermass performed what it seemed he intended to perform. On this point he was absolutely right, and he finished in Childermass's mouth almost immediately as he felt it around him.

Childermass spat into the glass he had been drinking from that evening, which he reached up and found on the table, in a manner that suggested all that had just occurred was most commonplace. Then he pushed himself to his feet and regarded Mr Segundus with plain interest. Despite being dressed only from the waist up and having been debauched more thoroughly than he could remember having been in a very long time, Mr Segundus did his best to regard him in a similar way.

He was not sure exactly what either of them ought to say next, but when Mr Segundus opened his mouth, what came out was, "My opinion is not at all changed. I still do not wish to be President of the York Society."

And at this, for the first time, Mr Segundus saw Childermass laugh in a manner that was frank and open and quite unlike himself.

**Author's Note:**

> From [jsmn_kinkmeme](http://jsmn-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/1273.html?thread=132857#cmt132857):
> 
> _Something where Childermass backs Segundus against a wall, gets him to wrap his legs around his waist and proceeds to fuck him senseless._
> 
> If you liked this story, you can reblog it [on tumblr](https://justlikeeddie.tumblr.com/post/126453626987/a-peculiarity-of-the-iberian-peninsula)!


End file.
